Popular H Mart Asian Grocery Store Chain Making Entry Into Austin Market

AUSTIN, TX — H Mart, a grocery store chain popular with the Asian community, is headed to Central Texas, according to published reports.

The chain is poised to open a store at 11301 Lakeline Blvd. near Lakeline CMall, the Austin American-Statesman reported, citing filings made with city and state agencies toward building the store. The filed documents indicate the store will be encompassed in buildings left empty after Bed Bath & Beyond and Sports Authority vacated the shopping center.

While H Mart officials were unavailable for comment, fillings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation suggest renovations will cost some $4.4 million, with expected completion by December, the newspaper reported.

H Mart currently operates three Texas stores, two in Dallas and one in Houston. Elsewhere in the country, the chain operates stores in California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia. According to historical information found on its website, the first HMart opened in Queens, New York, in 1982. The “H” in is name refers to “Han Ah Reum,” which is Korean for “one arm full of groceries."

The chain's entry into the Austin market illustrates the explosive growth in that community across Central Texas since the '90s. According to the city's demographer, the Asian population in Austin nearly doubled in the last decade, growing from 3.3 percent in 1990 to almost 5 percent by 2000. Today, the population hovers at around 6.5 percent.

And the Asian community is no monolith, but reflective of myriad cultures and regions, according to the city: "For example, thirty years ago, if you were Asian and in Austin, chances are you were Chinese and somehow associated with the University of Texas. Today, Austin hosts an Asian population that spans the socioeconomic spectrum and is sourced by several countries of origin, with India, Vietnam and China being the largest contributors."

According to Eater Austin, the grocery store chain offers the full array of Asian staples, including noodles, kimchi, seaweed, rice, fresh seafood and more. The store is further north of Austin's other Asian markets, MT Supermarket, Hong Kong Supermarket and Hana World Market, the website reported.

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